Crate



Dec. 27, 1932. w. F. SNEED. JR

CRATE Original Filed April 23, 193i it i mull T kl? 3, 1 0 3 .\\V.ll N! I] 8 l l I Zmventor attorneys.

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Patented Dec 27, 1932 warren stares PATENT GFFIC'E CRATE Application filed. April 23, 1931, Serial No. 552,312. Renewed N'ovember 1, 1932.

The present invention relates to improvements i3. crates, and has for an object to provide an improver crate for containing bottles such as bottled coca cola, or other goods or merchandise, in which the parts are simple, lllQXPGDSlVG. strong and rigid.

Another object of the invention resides in providing an improved bottle or other crate the repairs will be less than those ordinarily encountered in conventional crates as manufactured and used in the bottle and o 101 int ies today, and the parts of which can be read y replaced when worn or broken 'ng the relatively great expense of discarding the entire crate in favor of a new one.

urther object of the invention resides in providing imp red partitions and reinforcements therefor, which are adaptable to any form of crate and which when placed in a wooden box or crate will reinforce and strengthen the same and convert such box or crate into an unusually strong, rigid and attractire carrier bottles and the like goods.

, hereto.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention will be more fully de-' scribed hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claim appended in the (.rawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the is plan view of my improved )RltS broken away. s vertical section along the line i igure 1, and A 19'1116 3 is a transverse section taken along the line 83 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 5 represents the base or bottom of an orsheet metal or other appropriate material,

which plate will be substantially rectangular and of an overall length and widthextending beyond the sides and ends 6 and 7 of thecrate structure, whereby the margin portions of-the plate may rest upon the upper edges of said side and end walls 6 and 7 there being a surplus of material of the plate 8 left over beyond such side and end walls, which surplus material may be turned down along the exterior faces of the side and end walls 6 and 7. The flanges 9 thus produced will serve to center the plate 8 upon the crate and the plate will be reinforced at its marginal portions by this flange. The crate itself will also be reinforced by the flange 9, which may bcsecured, as by the nails 10 or other fastenings, to the side and end walls 6 and 7. In the plate 8 are produced openings 11 preferably surrounded by down-turned flanges 12. These openings may be stamped from the sheet metal of the plate 8, sulflcient material being left from the stamping operation to constitute the flanges 12, which flanges may be produced in the stamping operation.

The flanges are preferably curved so as to form smooth surfaces and to readily receive F openings 15 therein for the bottles or other goods, which openings are surrounded by the reinforcing flanges 16. Theside margin portions of the lower plate 14 are turned downwardly to constitute legs 17 irestingupon the bottom 5 of the crate along and against the side crate walls '6. The end marginal portions of the lower plate ll-are bent upwardly toprovide flanges 18-whichextend along and against the side faces of the end. walls '7 of the crate, such flanges 18 being preferably secured to such end walls 7 as by the-nails 19 or other fastenings.

Below theplate 14 arereinforcing ribs, also preferably formed ofsheetmetal bent into a substantially inverted -V shape in .cross section and including the divergent dogs 20 and 21. Thesezlegs rest at their lower wider portions upon the'bottomoofthe crsateand extend upwardly intothe ridge 22, \which ridge extends in contact with the lower surface of the lower plate 14 and supports the same. Any desired number of the reinforcing ribs may be provided.

In the drawing, I have shown for illustrative purposes, three such ribs, the ribs being placed between longitudinal rows of the bottle openings 15, so that the crest portions or ridges of the reinforcing members are in contact with the plate l-lthroughout the entire length thereof. The end portions of the legs 20 and 21 are bent outwardly to provide ears 23. It is, of course, first necessary to slit the reinforcing strip along the ridge for a distance from each end and then to bend outwardly the ears 23 so that they will be in a substantially vertical plane and lie flat against the end wall 7, to which they may be affixed as by the nails or other fastenings 24.

The openings in the upper and lower plates 8 and 1 will, of course, be in alignment to receive the bottles 13.

In the use of the device, the bottles are inserted in the crate in the manner indicated by dotted lines in Fi ure 2, the bottle projecting through registering openings in the plates 8 and 14: and resting directly upon the bottom 5 of the crate. The flanges 12 and 16 of the plates will embrace the sides of the bottle 13 and serve to effectually hold the bottle in place and against destructive side movement.

Now it is an easy matter to insert the bottoms of the bottles through the openings 11 in the upper plate 8 on account of its proximity to the user of the device, but often the bottles are dropped down not precisely in a vertical direction, and they often strike the lower plate and would ordinarily do injury thereto, dislocating or displacing locally portions of the lower plate downwardly so that the alignment of the openings would be in a short time destroyed and the lower plate otherwise injured and broken. However, this situation is taken care of by the reinforcing strips which serve to support the plate, particularly adjacent the openings. Now it will be apparent that the two plates and the reinforcing ribs may be readily applied to any wooden box or crate. After their application, the wooden structure of the box or crate is greatly strengthened and at very small expense. Should one or the other plates or reinforcing ribs become broken or worn through use or age, the same can be very readily removed and discarded and replaced by a new similar part at very little expense, and when these parts become broken or worn it is not necessary to discard the entire crate, but the broken parts may be renewed and the crate maintained for a long period of time in a useful condition.

It will be obvious that various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts could be made, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details, except as particularly pointed out in the claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is An improved crate comprising a crate body, composed of a bottom, sides and ends, an upper sheet metal plate, having openings therein with down-turned marginal flanges, said plate resting upon the sides and ends of the crate and having down-turned external flanges embracing the outer faces of the side and end walls and being aiiixed to said walls, a lower plate having openings therein with the reinforced marginal flanges lying in the lower portion of the crate body, legs at thesides of the plate bent downwardly ther from and resting upon the bottom and in contact with the side walls of the crate, and flanges bent upwardly from the lower plate and lying in contact with the end walls of the crate and ailixed thereto. longitudinal reinforcing ribs having diverging legs resting upon the bottom of the crate and having upper joining ridges contacting with the lower side of the lower plate, said ribs having split and out-turned ends placed against and affixed to the end walls of the crate.

WILLIAM F. SNEED, JR. 

